The time will seem to last and last

I’ve been looking forward to a sophomore release from Headlights for almost two years. From the first time I heard “TV” a couple summers ago, I’ve expected great things from them. And while nothing else on their debut effort quite lived up to that first song, it nevertheless ended up as my #10 album of 2006.

It’s hard to say at this point if their new release will stick with me as well, but there is certainly a lot to love about Some Racing, Some Stopping (eMusic). It’s more more delicate than their debut, and more intricate.

But the most distinct difference is in tone. Where Kill Them With Kindness had 5 or 6 superb uptempo songs surrounded by some rather less exciting numbers which stretched the whole thing out to 14 tracks, this time around they smooth out some of the extremes. For the most part, they reside in a fairly narrow band of gently pulsing melodic indie rock.

But this is not to say that it all sounds the same. Precisely the opposite actually. The most extraordinary feature of the record is the way that they explore the sound finding nooks and crannies where you’d never expect. With a series of tracks that would feel right at home on an OC compilation in terms of general style, they reveal that this genre possesses far more depth than it’s normally given credit for.

Witness, for example, the guitar interplay which closes out the lovely “Catch Them All.” Or, try the slow buildup of “School Boys” which could easily be used to pave the way for an explosion, but which they deploy far more elegantly – providing ample space to breathe and for harmonies to overlap. All of which makes the two modest guitar riffs (at 1:49 and 2:27) feel far more weighty and powerful than you’d ever expect. Or there’s the thoroughly atmospheric “So Much For the Afternoon” which floats effortlessly.

It’s funny, because one thing I’ve always heard about their live shows is that they are blisteringly loud, but this is precisely the sort of record that you’d think can be most appreciated on high quality headphones in a quiet room. Not that there aren’t a few tracks that you could comfortably fit on a party mix (“Get Your Head Around It” starts quietly but would make a fine end to a late night, and “April 2” has a backbeat straight out of every great 60s dance tune), but this is certainly not a record built on hooks. I’d be curious to see how it translates live.

This question also leads into my one problem with the record. There’s a lot to be said for exploring these sounds, but there’s also something to be said for a guitar/piano riff that hurls you full force into the maelstrom – something which they have fully demonstrated the capacity for, but do not avail themselves of here. You don’t want to complain too much about such a nice album, but you also can’t help but wonder if it would have ruined things to include one barn-burner. Or, at the very least, build in a little bit more oomph throughout the record.

For the most part, they nicely stagger tracks to prevent it from getting bogged down, but there’s not much that could rescue the middle of the record from the title track, which might work as a 40 second interlude, but which as the longest track on the record is little more than a 4 minute lull where they temporarily forget about the importance of things like melody and rhythm.

But still, as I said, it’s hard to get too worked up with complaints when listening to a record so pretty. You’d be much better off ignoring what could have been and instead just kick back, stare at the blue, blue sky and let it all wash over you.

On April 2 – Headlights
Catch Them All – Headlights

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